Pages

Friday, November 23, 2018

PURE DEVASTATION and HEARTBREAK…but then there is HOPE!

We have a $10,000.00 matching campaign
and a pledge for another $5,000 matching campaign, too!

(Photo from Justin Sullivan / Getty)

We have raised funds for temporary housing for people and lost pets, basic necessities for food and shelter, and more! Let’s keep going and help out these families
below and others! Those of you who donated this week... THANK YOU... and your donations have been matched too!

(Photo from REUTERS)

We are so grateful to be a
part of such a big, caring community, spanning from Northern California and
Hawaii and reaching around the globe. We do big things together, but this
situation is perhaps the hardest we have ever faced. These stories are real and close to home for many of our supporters.
They come from friends and friends of friends…just like you. PLEASE, help us
support these people. They are shocked and scared. Some have funeral expenses
for loved ones. Some have medical emergencies. And all of them have lost a
friend, a family member, a pet, a house, a car and, in some cases, all of the
above. This is a tragedy beyond description.

Below are some stories that
we have received over the past few days for Dream of a Better World friends and team members. Please read them and help if you can.
Even $5.00 makes a difference when we put it all together!

(Photo from Noah Berger / AP)

Mr. Julian Gonzales and Family

Julian
is just about the most dedicated man I know. He is the custodian at
McManus. His wife is a nurse and has been working around the clock
since the fire began, helping folks that were evacuated from a nursing
home in Paradise (that was owned by our old McManus principal) even
though she lost her home. In fact, she is the only full time employee
helping to relocate residents. Their daughter, Ariana, is a McManus
alum, and was on my Girls on the Run team, twice. They also have an
adult son. The family was scattered about the county at work and school
before the evacuation was ordered, and all safely reunited in Chico.
They have confirmation that their house was destroyed.

Andy and Lindsey Canales

Andy
teaches 5th grade at McManus, Lindsey is an adaptive PE teacher
throughout Chico Unified and also works with McManus students. Andy was
already in Chico and Lindsay was fortunately still in Paradise and able
to return home and get their dog Sarge, and one of Andy’s favorite
Dodgers hats. They have confirmation that their house was destroyed.

Sandee and Brian

They
all foster dogs for an organization called Wags and Whiskers. Instead
of dogs living at a shelter, Wags and Whiskers places pets with with
foster families. Sandee and Brian live in Magalia, just north of
Paradise, and while their home is not burned, yet, they believe they
will be the only family members with a house to return to. Brian’s mom
Beverly left home without a cell phone, and did not know where her son
ended up. They reunited in Corning. They have not received confirmation
either way about the status of her home. Several family members have
lost their homes.

Vaughn and Emily Parsons

They
have a 12 year old son with special needs and two young daughters.
While Emily evacuated quickly with the kids and animals, Vaughn was able
to stay longer with two friends that were also living on their property
and pack up items that would help him continue working from home,
whenever and wherever they land again. He was watching the flames as
they approached his property. Vaughn and his two friends have been
staying with us as they begin to navigate the next chapter of their
lives. For now, Emily is further away from the smoke with their three
children. Vaughn will be back and forth. They have confirmation that
their house was destroyed.

Ellen and Ryan Johnson

Ryan
is a teacher out of the area, Ellen worked for Youth for Change in
Paradise. If you can handle it, you can read her heart wrenching
evacuation story.
All three of them safely evacuated. They have confirmation that their
house was destroyed.

(Here is their story originally Written by Sarah Jackson with files from The Associated Press. Produced by Katie Geleff)

California woman wondered if she was going to die as she fled fire with baby

Ellen
VandenBerg with her 5-month-old son Knox, dog and husband Ryan Johnson.
VandenBerg and her son were forced to flee their home in Paradise,
Calif. (Submitted by Ellen VandenBerg )

Ellen
VandenBerg didn't know if she was going to make it out of Paradise,
Calif., alive with her five-month-old son on Thursday as she fled a
wildfire. "At one point I thought: 'Should I be pouring water on my son? Are we going to die in our car?'" VandenBerg told As It Happens host Carol Off.

Vandenberg
was fleeing the Camp Fire — a devastating blaze that officials say has
destroyed the majority of the northern California town of almost 30,000
residents. It was one of three major blazes burning across
California Friday that officials were concerned about. At least five
people have been found dead in their scorched cars, according to The
Associated Press.

Grabbed her baby and fled

VandenBerg
was at home waiting for her husband Ryan Johnson as the sky darkened
and ash started falling from above. She realized at that moment that she
had to flee. She gathered important documents, her cat and dog,
clothes, a diaper bag and her son Knox, then jumped in the car. "As
soon as I turned onto my street, out of my little side street, I was
stuck in traffic," she said. VandenBerg estimates it took her three
hours to travel only 24 km.

Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the rapidly spreading wildfire
has ripped through the town of Paradise, charring 18,000 acres and
destroying dozens of homes in a matter of hours. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Just go and run

During
all of this, VandenBerg had to take care of her baby alone. When
Knox woke up, she was able to put her car in park and breastfeed him.
She spent the rest of the slow journey, with smoke billowing around
them, with Knox on her lap. "I just kept him with me because I actually
thought that I was going to have to get out and run," she said. The one
thing keeping her calm was talking to her husband, who was meeting them
in the nearby town of Chico, on the phone. Then the cell service went
out. "I
was just trying to stay calm, really. I took a couple of videos of
myself just to kind of have something to talk to and just tell my loved
ones that I love them," she said.

Emergency personnel evacuate patients as
the Feather River Hospital burns while the Camp Fire rages through
Paradise. (Noah Berger/Associated Press)

The
ominous smoke eventually turned to flames. "I
saw flames on one side of me at one point, and the other side at one
point, and it really did feel like we were being engulfed. And we were
just all sitting ducks. I mean, it was just terrifying," she said.
Officials opened up both sides of the skyway to allow cars to get out.
"I
just took off and had nobody in front of me, and I did way over the
speed limit I'm sure, but I made it down to Chico," she said.

My house is gone

In
Chico, VandenBerg reunited with her husband. They are now staying with
his family in Rocklin and trying to come to terms with everything they
lost. "My house is gone," she said.

Flames consume a building as the Camp
Fire tears through Paradise, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (Noah
Berger/Associated Press)

She
also can't stop thinking about whether all the people on the highway
with her escaped. "I
just wonder how many people didn't make it, and how many older folks
and people with children in their cars didn't make it," she said. What
gives her hope is the firefighters who were rushing toward the fire.
"I'm just so grateful for them," she said.

Written by Sarah Jackson with files from The Associated Press. Produced by Katie Geleff.

This
is a photo of Teresa & Michael, a super sweet, lovely couple in
their early sixties. Michael is the manager of a machine shop and Teresa
has been a special needs teacher her entire career and her school is now ashes.

This is a photo of them escaping the fire. Their car is the one in the back.

Teresa
and Michael lost EVERYTHING in the fire last week... their home, cars,
cat and personal treasures. They also have 17 friends that have lost
their homes. PLEASE help us reach out to as many as possible.

California Wildfire Victims

ABOUT US

We are a group of kids who believe that "It's Our Turn Now" to make a difference in the world. We are part of a great non-profit organization, "Dream of a Better World." Our motto is: "You're never too young or too old to make a difference!" We invite you to join us in raising awareness and donations for our projects!